Zak Brown Reveals The Truth Behind Lando Norris' McLaren Success

A special bonus episode for you this week with former racing driver and now Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Racing, Zak Brown 🔥
He shares his story from wannabe racer to McLaren boss, and highlights the importance of the attention to detail, surrounding yourself with mentors, and making tough decisions! 🙌🏻
With McLaren hitting the news this week with team changes, he also reflects on whether he could have done anything different 👀
We chat about Zak’s role as a leader, his motivations, and self-awareness. This conversation offers great takeaways to people looking to find their own way in business ✅
Subscribe & let us know what you think in the comments! 🙏🏻
About:
The High Performance Podcast offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of high-achieving, successful individuals. It doesn’t matter where our guest has excelled - in sport, music, business or entertainment - they all have first-hand experiences and lessons to share. Find out what non-negotiable behaviours they employed to get them to the top, and keep them there.
Hosting every conversation is sports broadcaster Jake Humphrey and leading organisational psychologist Professor Damian Hughes. Jake is currently BT Sport’s Premier League anchor and former face of BBC’s Formula One coverage. Damian continues to work with leading sports organisations and teams to create a high performing culture.
Watch full unseen interviews from the podcast: • High Performance Podcast
For more episodes of the podcast, listen here: www.podfollow.com/highperformance
#highperformancepodcast

[@HighPerformancePodcast]

A great privilege to speak to Zak who very open and honest. What was your biggest takeaway from the interview?

[@PaulSidebotham]

Success in work, just like in broader life, is all about relationships. Being likeable and trying earnestly to give people what they want will generally pay you back down the line. Great interview.

[@unscrupulousyou]

Bet you double checked his name first! Great chat guys.

[@mbomba4415]

Title is misleading though. He only slightly touched on the Riccardo situation

[@Redlingstein]

Zak is a liar, he isn’t honest at all! Promising Palou a F1 seat, signing the contract and then he said it was only an Indycar seat…… Signing Piastri behind DR’s back, telling DRhe had the seat in 2023 and even letting DR do a speech at the factory telling the employees that he would be in the seat in 2023…WHILE AT THAT MOMENT PIASTRI WAS ALREADY SIGNED FOR 2023! Zak is full of himself, he lies and cheats on not only Palou but also DR…… He is never open or honest…..

[@koenkegel]

That the interviewers are barely audible. ;)

[@djdsf]

30:33 is what you're here for.

[@shaktikumaran]

Thanks man

[@YannickKhong]

thank you!

[@Leo-hz3yl]

Lifesaver

[@BeingaDad564]

the hero we need..

[@jamesparker7196]

Get Danny Ric on the show. Would love to hear from a successful individual going through a rough patch

[@anaf9001]

watch albon's ep. That's a real rough patch. Danny had always a seat

[@sumi4210]

Danny created it mostly by himself, like leaving RB at the first place. Just cos his is playing extroverted ''positive guy'' role does not mean he is the one with the most ''rough patch''.....dont be fooled:)

[@ChrisStoneinator]

Albon already did this, and he’s actually capable of talking eloquently, being reflective and being mature. He was also a lot more hard done by.

[@Aljafari1]

His communication advice regarding responding to all emails, is well articulated. Sometimes we ignore the importance of responding when we do not have the answer or we think it is not important item to respond, a simple response can make others job much easier.

[@razvansuta7122]

This needs a part 2, Zak has a wealth of experiences to share. I love his pragmatic seasoned entrepreneur approach to answering questions. he didn't hesitate a bit

[@Joe_Lebowski]

Around 30 mins for Danny Ric talk.

[@frazerguest2864]

I really enjoy these podcasts. You guys seem to have the ability to get your guests to really open up, to be frank and to be honest.

[@l0ngn0r29]

This is a really good podcast everyone speaks clearly and its a great insight to zaks life he is very open and honest

[@HighPerformancePodcast]

thank you!

[@phillwaller]

I've taken so many notes throughout this podcast. Amazing job guys.

[@nott404]

One of the best podcasts so far.

[@HighPerformancePodcast]

thanks for watching

[@housefly1978]

Great interview, and great insight from Zak… real shame it didn’t work out for Daniel, but does feel like all sides worked very hard to resolve the challenges they face. Best of luck to all parties for the rest of the season. As a side note; could Jake or Damian share their techniques for a great interview.? Having a structure and great guests is obviously important, but to have the fluidity to change tack mid interview is something I’m fascinated about. Thanks Mike

[@Airwane]

13:12 I love this bit because I'm also more of the person who fear failure!

[@hikingthewesterncape8035]

That was actually a great interview...got me here with the click bait...making me watch through 20mins of video, but was actually worth it, thanks guys, you never realize what the boss goes through until you watch stuff like this

[@yodecaf]

ASAP comment is on point @27:46. Never thought of it that way!

[@Stuartthehobbytrucker]

Stumbled across this!! There is some great knowledge here. Mad respect to Zak for being so open

[@nithcituh]

Thank you for sharing this interview guys!

[@stoss-11]

great podcast

[@ramjaykv]

The man is 100% real. Solid content

[@larsfrandsen2501]

Great information. Not necessarily the greatest fan of Zak or McLaren coming in to this episode. But I am leaving very much the wiser.

[@peterfowke7818]

I have really enjoyed this interview with Zak Brown boss of Mclaren f1 team and way Daniel Ricciardo last left f1 team but I'm happy that his going to Redbull racing as a test driver next year in 2023.

[@zeanjinsan]

Excellent dissection of Zak's POV at that moment!! Thank YOU!!🖖🤙💫

[@mbomba4415]

Great interview. The video title is misleading though, he only slightly touched on Daniel Riccardo

[@saeed3688]

some really good points from Zak Brown. Great Podcast

[@HighPerformancePodcast]

Thanks!

[@richardfenner6096]

Outstanding interview, gents. Spent some time as a TV/Radio presenter/producer myself and thoroughly enjoyed this. Thank you.

[@Thepc425]

Oooo Phat brown on the pod at last.

[@oftengone]

I appreciate that golden rule at the end. Good luck with McLaren next year, Mr Brown. Thanks for the video HP guys 🙏.

[@danw331]

It spins me out a bit seeing an American at the heart of the most British formula 1 team, but he's passionate and intelligent and I for one am glad he's alone for the ride.

[@Chris-bb2cb]

It's a bit hard to drive and be motivated when your employer says to the media "there are mechanisms in which we are committed to each other and then there are mechanisms in which we are not” Pretty dirty tactics...

[@bjs7442]

Mclaren are in a battle with Alpine they will give 100% behind Daniel and he will be keen to showcase himself. Next years car will be different so pointless setting up a car for a driver who wont be racing it this year.

[@batguano7526]

When someone says that they work seven days a week non stop for year's I smell a liar.

[@Vtwin60]

Zak brown my favorite jewish f1 personality always on the attack to detract from his continual failures at mclaren. Hes a sharp guy.

[@testopatia106]

What a nice guy, Thanks for the insight.

[@Franzino]

Zak does explain the Ricciardo situation very well and respectful.

[@Redlingstein]

Zak lied to DR, let him do a speech at the factory telling the employees that he would be in the seat in 2023….while Zak already signed Piastri behind his back for that seat. Zak also promised Palou the F1 seat, signed the contract with Palou and then told him it was just for an Indycar seat. Hence why Palou has been furious towards Zak and killed the contract. Zak is a liar and a cheat, in all honesty…. The facts proof that.

[@conorkilroe]

This guy is fascinating but the audio from his mic was so bad I gave up

[@FrederickViedge]

He's like the American dad we wish we all had 😂

[@Smaffs59]

Zach (I couldn't resist it) is clearly a very smart guy and certainly someone I would want to work for. I wonder if he has considered that if he was in better physical shape that he would be more productive at his job with clearer thinking and more energy.

[@enffootballlab2022]

Please try and get Rob Edwards on

[@lyndreyer7080]

Bit of a back staber in my books puts a good spin on things hoping that you believe it well the car of one driver was crap and he knows it wouldn't trust him

[@McLfansSerbia]

Big boss! 💪🧡

[@Harrypoozy]

I love Zak very admirable

[@freddiefreihofer7716]

Daniel Ricciardo portion only appears at 30:32

[@JoeLeonardo]

Fantastic conversation with Zack Browne. I hope to be working for him one day!

[@simsonie]

Ha ha underrated reply

[@TARMACULA]

Feels like watching a high level salesman or politician telling exactly what they think you want to hear for 30 minutes. He's a driver collector! I mean he even offered Dan one of his Indy car drivers seats. The same driver he's promising an F1 seat too. He has done some smart moves on the Production car side of things, but the F1 team has suffered another under his leadership.

[@Redlingstein]

Well said… and he’s fooling these guys and many in the comments…

[@MrMonsster]

The work harder 7 days a week really depressed me.

[@Airwane]

I don't like the thumbnail and clickbait title. It takes away the great things Zak has shared!

[@hjwatso1]

I really enjoyed the interview, I really admire what Zak has done with McLaren since he took over. I do, however, think he is limiting his success by some of his hard and fast rules. Likewise, I understand what he is trying to achieve with his "spell my name correctly" or that someone has to be "likeable". But this approach limits the type of people and thinking you have in an organization. It slams the door in the face of people who could potentially bring you great success. Therefore, you end up with people like you. And as modern leadership principles and thinking show, you need a diverse (in many ways) group of people fore success. This approach really rubs me up the wrong way, and it's such an old school approach.

[@MrRadialdrift]

What has he done at McLaren exactly? They are still a potato team.

[@tuffmanchannel]

@@MrRadialdrift they're financially healthier now than they were a few years ago. They're back to the spending potential of the bigger teams.

[@MrRadialdrift]

@@tuffmanchannel Wow, that is amazing. So he signed Dan for big money and got one win. What an amazing leader. Money well spent.

[@tuffmanchannel]

@@MrRadialdrift not all business decisions are good ones, and in the case of Daniel, it didn't pay off. But that's not what I mean by financially healthier. They have enough money in the bank now to sustain themselves and not be under financial threats, which wasn't the case a few years ago. Zak has talked about how dire the situation got, especially towards 2020, and he did a great job to shield the racing team from this aspect, to make sure that they keep working instead of worrying about their future. This financial stability also allows them to work on their facilities and resources, which have been falling behind compared to the frontrunners. Their windtunnel should be ready in the middle of 2023, which would help development. Their results are disappointing, sure. But there's a lot going on behind the scenes that must be taken care of for things to go smoothly, and Zak is doing a good job of addressing the issues that they're facing.

[@MrRadialdrift]

@@tuffmanchannel Great, they can waste even more money on bad decisions.

[@willyhwang1059]

when is someone going to criticize mclaren bosses for agreeing lopsided contract

[@martinhaines2884]

Great talk. Daniel topic is a strange one. I'm sure they have learnt lessons. Daniel has spoken he has weakness's. I really hope next years car is better.

[@CFC_44]

To be fair to Danny this year, the car has been rubbish! Like the Merc.

[@Tom-qb1rj]

Irrelevant, he’s vastly more experienced than Lando and has been shocking in comparison. Hasn’t driven well since red bull, it’s been over 5 years

[@milk3013]

he was obliterated by Lando so that is irrelevant

[@AverageSneedEnjoyer]

he was alright at Renault, should've stayed there

[@TomislawBachleda]

He is still being beaten by Tsunoda. That is no excuse, Albon has a rubbish car too yet he smashed Sargeant last year

[@rodneylis8276]

Zack I’m looking for a job..

[@Redlingstein]

I hope DR will get that RBR seat this season and beat Piastri and Lando in it 💪💪💪

[@FreddyMacT]

So many people tried to make Zak a villain (especially the DTS editing fanboys), and yet he was extremely smart and acted upon a fallacy that most others get hung up on. SUNK COST FALLACY. Daniel Ricciardo's contract was already a sunk cost, and most would've just kept him around because whatever, "it's 1 more season." But reality is, you're wasting your time and that's something you won't get back, so move on, cut him and improve your team and that's what Zak did.

[@91Shortay]

High performance is not that deep, don't know why they keep asking as most people say the same thing when asked 🤷‍♂️

[@UTUBE3JC]

Seeing how self critical brown is, he def gave ricciardo plenty of time to get it together

[@jasonlay9492]

24 hours Zac. So no sleep involved?

[@SS-yw7vo]

It's not a race winning car

[@brightenupcc]

Ricciardo has a very narrow operating band

[@TA-wg9oi]

The title doesn't reflect the bullshit and dishonesty of this backstabber! P.S. A CEO of McLaren can still be recognised as a failure.....which would be more honest.

[@milk3013]

Completely inaccurate though. He's done nothing but positive for the team. You don't know what you're talking about clearly.

[@TA-wg9oi]

@@milk3013 Putting Google on the wheels doesn't win races!! Nor does building a 'billy cart'... During the Japanese GP, Brown nose was frolocking at Mt Panorama Bathurst, Australia watching the race with Walkinshaw Racing who he is part owner of.......That's McKaren positivity for ya!!

[@Redlingstein]

True!

[@Redlingstein]

@@milk3013he has lied many times, Palou knows it and DR too, Zak is a backstabbing liar

[@milk3013]

@@Redlingstein he didnt lie to daniel. Daniel just sucked. Cry

[@godsinbox]

“I mean, he (Ricciardo) came in having won seven grands prix and was the hottest driver that you could get, and I think we kind of maybe assumed, and I think kind of rightfully so, that he was going to pick up where he left off." I don’t think there’s anything we could have done differently for him as a driver, like I’m sitting here right now thinking, I don’t think we could have done something differently to make him more competitive. We tried all that." “I think what I’ll do differently next time is maybe have some more performance protections for us and not just assume that a great driver can always be great" OK dude, keep thinking that way...

[@carmarym7032]

I'm curious. What do you think the right approaxh would be?

[@AverageSneedEnjoyer]

If Lando can drive the car, why can't Daniel? that's not McLaren's fault

[@chrisb3989]

Have a good look at Zac….you will not see much of him after another failed season.

[@simsonie]

👋

[@jamesantill5065]

IKR! Cant believe they fired him!

[@salasyee7020]

Amazing vlog. I specifically love clickbait title. Listening for 30 minutes of Zak's "self criticism" and few minutes about Riccardo that they did max for him. Ridiculous

[@deanbilton]

30min non Danny, great clickbait

[@user-yv8zr6br4q]

CHANGE ENGINE. IF YOU WANT PODIUM FOR NORRIS.

[@lyndreyer7080]

Karma

[@PoppingMagnus]

He has ADHD. Her ticks all three boxes and his way of doing things is all the healthy ways people with ADHD do.

[@lightningmcqueen181]

I think Zak Brown is a Snake...Couldn't watch the first 5 minutes of this B4 cutting it off.

[@Redlingstein]

Exactly….. unfort ppl believe his hot air. Sadly even these guys fall for it……. 👎🏻 very bad interview, it’s just a promo of Zak

[@sausageandbeanmelt4634]

Zak got Money Badgered.

[@scottyskydog]

Thank god Danny got out of there!

[@scottfarndell1636]

Sorry but this isn’t no where near a Ron Dennis in his prime.

[@Drumsmasher]

Traveling and working till late hours, is not working hard, it's just pretend to be busy. Not his fault and not judging, not even saying he's not a hard worker, all I'm saying is that it's an off perception old generations inherit and tried to do the same with us. Luckily our generation realized it was wrong. Sorry but every time I see someone bragging of "how hard they work" just because they seem busy, I have to speak up. Work smarter that's all I say

[@QAZWSX545]

Did you watch the whole video?

[@Drumsmasher]

@@QAZWSX545 I did... You know, print a doc and put it into the briefcase haha!

[@bjs7442]

I dont see it as bragging and its presumptuous to say they seem busy. Perhaps he was really busy. He is certainly very successful . It may not be for you but dont knock how he works when he simply says the truth of his life. If you want the easy life and not the success thats good for you.

[@Drumsmasher]

@@bjs7442 read my comment again. I'm not saying he's not successful (in business), and not even saying he's lying, all I said is that he talks about it like if it's actually a good thing. It's like back in the 80s smoking was nice, it was cool for a 16 y/o smoking, but nowadays we know it is not cool, same thing happens here. Vague example though, but trying to put it at your level

[@bjs7442]

@@Drumsmasher Thank you for putting it at what you think is my level. What prompted my comment was you saying that he was bragging and pretending to be busy. Which he wasn't. Also I dont understand someone drawing comparisons between working hard and earning a living with a bad and potentially life threatening habit like Smoking.

[@Airwane]

about time they got rid of Ric. for a season driver being out race by a younger driver is not a good look besides all the money they pay him it's a poor return. regardless of the car being competitive or not even last year when they had a good car he couldn't perform

[@stefank6179]

Nice PR stunt trying to make him look more personal.

[@Stuartthehobbytrucker]

We are all human. One thing I will say there is a big difference between business and personal and you can’t mix the feelings between the two.

[@Redlingstein]

Exactly… the liar Zak, Palou, signing Piastri behind DR’s back and pushing DR to do a speech at the factory that he was still in the seat in 2023…while already signed Piastri for that seat,.. Zak is a liar and a snake yes

[@Redlingstein]

@@Stuartthehobbytruckerhe’s a liar, ask Palou….ask DR….

[@MaxRank]

I’ve never been a fan of DR. I believe he is more interested in the fame of being an F1 driver than actually being committed to being world champion. I watched a documentary with him and his attitude was starkly different to any of the top drivers. I don’t wish anything bad for him, just not a fan.

[@tanmaybhatnagar664]

Danny cost McLaren big time.

[@milk3013]

It would also help if they would build a car that isnt garbage

[@terukopops]

Zack should retire, always talking but never saying anything useful...

[@stavrosk.2868]

Daniel is an expert starting something but never is able to follow through. Waste of f1 space.

[@Redlingstein]

You are the waist of space

[@lukavujeva6584]

Zak is full of sh.. . Even Alonso or Max would be good if their teams build a car diametrically opposite from what suits them. Btw guys, amazing podcast, but you are losing subscribers due to click baiting. 😉